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Machine Room Setup: How to connect Apple cinema displays over long cable run
I’m not sure if this is the appropriate forum to ask this, but here goes.
I’m trying to move my computer (cheese grater style Mac Pro) to a machine room and run cable to my keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitors. I’ve already run some powered USB extensions and audio cable, but getting the monitors to work is proving to be a challenge.
They are two 27″ Apple Cinema Displays (non-Thunderbolt) and as such have a hardwired male miniDisplayPort. We have many monitors, computers, and various video devices that need to run 50 feet for our studio and we’ve found that 50ft. redmere (i.e. boosted) HDMI cables do the job, and we use HDMI (female) to miniDP (male) adapters when I mac is used.
I tried the same thing this time, using a female to female miniDP coupler from monoprice to connect the built in cable to my DIY extension.
Didn’t work. Tried swapping the HDMI cable for a short one, tried swapping monitors and laptops and the coupler doesn’t fly under any scenario.The longest miniDP extension cable I’ve found online is only 25′, which is too short. The other cables I have run are 50′, although this is excessive. 40′ would probably be fine.
Suggestions?
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1 Reply
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one of the main reasons I hate Apple monitors (don’t worry, they don’t make monitors anymore).
Countless companies like Gefen and Smart AVI (and plenty of others) make VGA extenders, DVI extenders, DVI-D
extenders, and even display port extenders. And modern monitors (like LG) that use thunderbolt – Corning makes wonderful long optical Thunderbolt extenders.But Apple decided to make this series of monitors with these ridiculous short built in mini display port male cables, that are virtually impossible to extend.
Solution – change your monitors. I know that’s not a good answer, but you are stuck with the wrong product for your application.
Every other company never stuck a fixed cable onto their monitors with a male end. Apple was the only one to ever do this, and created the dilemma that you are in .
Bob Zelin
Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com
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